


hopeful lantern

by Kugawing



Series: stick figure shipping hours [1]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Revenged Ending | R (Henry Stickmin), Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, charles is afraid of the dark, charles loves henry and henry is oblivious as hell, ellie has a brief appearance, no beta we die like charles, small price to pay for fluff, yes the timeline is all over the place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26350282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kugawing/pseuds/Kugawing
Summary: When you leave the base to a thief and the government's best pilot, what could possibly go wrong? The answer to that question is many things, but the power going out is the largest concern at the time.Sidefic to Backlog.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Series: stick figure shipping hours [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914718
Comments: 1
Kudos: 226





	hopeful lantern

' _Galeforce is way too trusting._ ' Henry's handwriting was never great. Charles knew that considering how often he had to read the other's scribbled notes. If Henry uttered a word to Charles, he felt as if the room was held with baited breath for what scratchy words would tumble forth. The pilot turned the note between his two fingers, leaning back on the couch and sinking into the cushions. It wasn't comfortable - they were in a military base, after all - but it was better than the cold floor.

The base was currently empty. What reasoning was beyond Charles' comprehension. Something about needing nearly all forces on deck for some operation, but also needing to leave people behind to ensure that nothing was stolen or tampered with. Redeemed as Henry was, Charles couldn't say that he disagreed with the thief's words. "You've got me there bud, but you do gotta admit that he vouched for you before you took down the Toppats." A pause, a nervous chuckle, adjusting his headset. "Well, it was before you became their leader, too."

Henry flicked the pencil against his metallic hand. Currently the cybernetic thief was bundled up in a pile of blankets, and Charles was fairly certain that the other happened to have one of his jackets on as well. Impossible to tell through all those blankets. The other's constant need for blankets wasn't something Charles deemed important to think about at the time. Henry took the notepad back, a hum of thought briefly filling the silence. The lounge was quiet without the bustling noises of soldiers, and it brought Charles to wriggle on the couch. Hearing pencil against paper, he craned his head to try and read what the other was writing. ' _Still right. Something wrong?_ ' 

Charles felt heat rush to his cheeks, stiffening briefly. "Oh, nothing's wrong!" He insisted, focusing on allowing his body to relax. Henry craned his head to give the pilot an incredulous look. Without words, and for normally always having a stoic expression, it was in times like these where Charles was amazed with just how expressive the thief was. It was utterly charming, how without a single word he could glean what the other was thinking and feeling. "Couch just ain't that comfortable. You know how it is." A dismissive wave of a hand followed suit, head craning up to look at the ceiling.

He was head over heels in love with a thief. Him, one of (if not _)_ the military's best pilots. His loyalty to the government was true: to protect, to provide, to serve. Yet here he was, sitting next to one of the world's most infamous thieves. Pardoned for his crimes, even if there was still some wriggle room regarding the pardon's details. Henry continued to give Charles his disgruntled expression, but finally gave way to a sigh. The mechanized thief leaned back against the couch, tugging at the blankets. For a moment, ever brief, all was still in the world. Charles reached for his drink on the nearby table-

A scream broke from him as the lights suddenly went out, and a faint humming in the base was brought to a jagged halt. "The- the lights, they've just gone out." 

There is the sound of pencil against paper again, before a jagged huff sounds. Charles needed a moment to recognize the problem; right, the other didn't speak, and reading without a light was near impossible. Hands pushing together and tapping rapidly against the couch, the pilot found himself unable to keep from squirming. A fear that was so childish began to clamber up from its grave, shoving its nasty teeth right into Charles' thoughts. He adjusted his headset, not that he figured Henry could see his nervous fidgeting. Then, a pause, and a glance given towards the other. He can't see the other's expression.

It was common knowledge that Henry was a thief, a crook. Ex leader of the Toppat clan, who now was awkwardly working with the government. The thief that nearly robbed a bank, stole the Tunisian diamond, escaped prison, overtook the Toppats, and fled the world's greatest complex. What expressions the other held were the keyhole into that personality. Endearing it was to Charles, a mystery he sought to solve through patience and unintentional bumbling. Even Charles didn't think he was as expressive as the mechanized one beside him, and that was without saying a single word. Those thoughts of warmth were the only light that there was in the dark until the pilot happened to squint, and lean a little closer to the other = even if it meant his heart began to beat even faster.

Beneath the blankets, even through all those layers, Henry happened to be faintly glowing. The cybernetics that constituted his spine and left arm were cold, but around his chest a faint blue glow drifted forth. Not enough to keep away the darkness, so deep and so terrifying that Charles was unable to tell where the walls ended and the floor began, or where the end of the couch he was sitting on happened to drop off into the void. Twenty eight years old, and this childish fear gripped him hard and thrashed around in his head. Closing his eyes did not help, for that just made the little light present flicker and disappear into the ever claiming dark.

Slow was the breath next to Charles, him turning a little. Ever calm, never faltering was Henry. Oh, it amazed Charles, it added to why he found himself adoring the other. No amount of adoration could save him from the dark, sadly. Nervous fidgeting continued to plague him, thumb rubbing against the zipper of his sweater. "Gonna fix lights." The words were said so softly that Charles almost missed them before they slipped away into the dark. The mound of blankets next to him shifted, and he felt a metallic hand grab his arm, then sliding down to his hand. Now the cold of the dark wasn't so bad, because heat was again rushing directly to his cheeks. He hoped the other couldn't see the dumb and lovestruck look on his face.

Numbly Charles nodded, allowing for Henry to pull him off the couch. The sound of blankets against the tile floor startled him, Charles gripping down on the mechanical hand tighter. Surely this hand had no feeling in it, right? The other wouldn't mind if he held on just a bit tighter, right? The nerves and worry grow, budding in his chest like an awful and disgusting weed. There's something glass-like in texture in the other's palm, and absently he rubs his thumb against it. Anything to soothe his nerves as Henry leads him off into the dark.

Apparently the other can see in the dark. A thief, of course. That was probably how he was able to do such without any cybernetics. The faint blue glow that came from his spine and chest was hardly soothing. A glance down at his hand allowed Charles to note that Henry's hand gleamed the same faint blue glow as well. A little bit of salvation in the unrelenting darkness. "I think if you can bring me to the breaker room i can probably try to activate the generators from there." He didn't expect a response, at least not a verbal one. Henry's grip on his own hand tightens briefly, likely to show that he heard.

Starstruck as he is, it doesn't fully bat away his worries about the dark. He knew he had no reason to be afraid. Yet it sat in his chest, in his mind, coiled there like a car in a collision. Refusing to budge no matter how tightly Henry held his hand, no matter how close he was to the other, no matter how much he focused his gaze on the faint flickers of blue in the dark. How odd. A thief, the ex-leader of the Toppat clan, was bringing him some form of comfort in this trying hour. Yet again, he supposed it couldn't be helped when he was head over heels. He really needed a new metaphor for such a term, for the swirling in his chest and the heat in his cheeks every single time the thief came to mind.

A door was forced open, judging from a small grunt of force from Henry. "Alright. We're here, I can tell by the weird echoing, haha." A nervous laugh, trying to ease his nerves. He glanced to where he thought Henry to be standing, but the other's face was hidden in the dark. The other lead him further into the room, a bit slower and less certain than his pace had been in the past.

"Watch your step, here." Concise and swift and rough came Henry's words. Briefly the other tightened his grip on the pilot's hand, and Charles swore that ever so briefly he saw stars. The same mechanical hand that had helped bring down the Toppats, now was entwined with his? Focus, he had to remind himself. He had to focus on fixing the darkness situation. A few more moments of blundering through the dark, and then tripping over something and nearly plummeting to the floor.

A yelp sounded, and Henry's mechanical grip tightened. The other yanked the pilot back to his feet, keeping a firm hold for a few more seconds. "Wow. Did not see that wire coming. Can't really- I can't really see much coming without any lights, though." Charles wriggled his fingers, wincing a little at the ache. He supposed being powered up by high class cybernetics meant the other probably couldn't really tell where his strength ended. Truth be told, Charles wasn't certain he wanted to know. He certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end. "Ah, here we are!" Henry had lifted the other's hand up to the wires. Then, the thief let go. Charles sucked in a deep breath. He could fix this! He had the greatest plans, so how bad could he mess up a job regarding wiring?

Now, by no means was Charles a good hacker. This was going to be a shot in the dark anyways, and so he began to struggle with the wiring and the knobs and levers. Flicking here, pushing here, switching around where wires were. "Yea..." He said slowly, wincing and pulling his shoulders taught, "I have no idea what I'm doing." Metal against face sounds, and Charles can only assume the other's metallic hand is now against his face. "Sorry about that bud. Guess we're just gonna have to tough it out."

Henry sighed, a noise that sounded mighty grated. The thief taps his shoulder and found his hand again, and began to lead him back. "Cold," he muttered ever so quietly, earning Charles' attention once again. Thoughts spinning, a jagged glance given to what he thought to see in the dark being distracted by trying to make sense of the other's word. Singular. Never many words came from the other. Admirable, with how little the other needed in order to convey his message. His heart fluttered, ever so briefly managing to tear through the sediment of fear.

"Um. I've got the perfect plan," Charles reached with his free hand to adjust his headset. "We can stop by and raid a closet for some blankets. Maybe we should just... sleep through this." Henry stopped walking, a deep breath in and a deep breath out. No further comment, instead a slight pivot and a tug to bring the pilot along. "When you think about it," he continued to ramble, unable to keep the slightest leash on his charismatic chattering. "This is basically like, the greatest sleepover plan ever. Do you wanna tell any spooky stories? What sort of movies do you like? Not that we can watch any right now...but, but for later!"

Briefly the other tensed up, warranting a slight feeling of confusion to wriggle forth. Henry said nothing more or gave any indication that he heard as he brought the pilot back to the couch. He jumped onto the couch with a resounding thud, the thief following suit a few moments after. The other began to bundle up beneath the blankets again, grumbling to make note of how frustrated he was with the pile's composition. Charles opened his mouth to again begin rambling, but was cut off by Henry giving him a nudge. The ex leader of the destroyed Toppat clan stretched out his metal arm. He flicked his palm, and the odd extension of glass in the middle began to glow brighter. Enough for Charles to finally be able to see the floor, the couch, the other's tired expression, and the cave of blankets he'd made. "Smart thinking, partner." Immediately regretting his choice of words, he could only sigh and lean back in the couch as his worries faded off. It was better than no light at all.

Henry continued to stare for a few moments, before shifting underneath the blankets. "Bright enough?" The tone required to make such an inquiry sound as such was lackluster. Charles decides that he'd take a leaf from Henry's book, and gives the other a thumbs up. Henry nodded in response, head sinking beneath a blanket and disappearing. A mountain of blankets had to do the other's metallic body good, surely. Charles wasn't certain, and he didn't think that offering to share warmth would go over well. However, that brief thought snatched his train of thought, and promptly began to run off with it.

"Actually, um." In a brief blaze of confidence and a scramble to get his words back under control, Charles found himself scooting closer. "Do you think we could... share the blanket pile? I'm getting kind of cold and I don't want to make you get back up. You look exhausted, man." He is unable to keep himself from rambling again. Internally his gut churns. Why did he ask such a thing? This was _the_ Henry Stickmin, a thief of diamonds and his heart, the leader of the world's largest criminal organization! What made him think that the other would just-

"Okay." Simple word, Henry shuffling around. The light in the room flickers, and Charles waited with baited breath. A blanket is wrapped around him, and Henry shuffles closer. His hand is still glowing amidst the darkness, head leaning against the back of the couch. The sharpest teeth of the dark have finally begun to release their hold. Finally, Charles felt his heart rate begin to slow. The heat remains in his cheeks, especially as the light flickers when Henry managed to doze off.

"Is there anything you _can't_ do?" Charles spoke to the empty air. His hands fidgeted with the blanket for one moment, another, before he grew comfortable. A slight scoot closer to the cybernetic fitted thief, and sleep began to approach. Slowly he drifted off into slumber, the two silent and still.

* * *

"So, how'd things go while the big government was out in the field?" Ellie asked. Henry already had notepad in hand, scribbling things down for her. The other escaped convict sat at the other end of the table, greedily inhaling her breakfast. Allowed to stay on the premises for supervision, not too far a cry from what Henry was being upheld to. Probably. That was his deal, and she wouldn't be one to pry for such mundane things.

A few moments of scribbling later, and Henry spun around the notepad for Ellie to read. "Power went out huh," she said with her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth. The bag that wraps around her neck and beneath her shoulder is adjusted, and she can feel the weight of the small scale EMP jostle within. "Damn. Sounds like it would've been boring as hell. Glad I went out to the town last night."

Henry turned the notepad around. He rolled his neck, a small grunt sounding. The other thief looked stiff, probably from whatever ordeal had happened last night. If walking in and finding the two bundled up in blankets on the couch, and Henry's cybernetic body were anything to go by, her deductive reasoning presented her with the idiot hadn't charged himself. Commonplace, she'd begun to notice. He either forgot, or he forgot in favor of doing something else. When the notepad was turned back around, Ellie dismissively waved a hand. "Oh, I didn't do anything special." As if turning off lights in a government building wasn't special. "Hey, Charles is here, think he wants you." She pointed her fork after speaking, and when Henry turned she promptly shoveled down a mouthful.

Ellie watched as Henry stood. The faintest smile was given her way, and he strode over to the pilot. Ellie watched closely, with the keen eyes that only a thief could have. _Lovebirds_. The only possible term for the two fell neatly into her lap. If she didn't know any better, she would tell Charles that he owed her. Another forkful was stuffed into her cheek. The best debts were those kept neatly under wraps until needed, and she watched the two stroll out of the diner - Charles' lovestruck gaze and Henry's stoic one turning around the corner. 

Now, where was she going to stash this EMP before she violated some unspoken term of her residency?


End file.
